In 1997, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande acquired Château Bernadotte in the Commune of Saint Sauveur, which is near Pichon. The name Bernadotte was given to this growth in honor of Marshal Bernadotte, appointed Sovereign Prince by Napoleon I and elected King of Sweden and Norway in 1818.

This property particularly interested Madame de Lencquesaing, owner of Pichon, because of her family’s prestigious history of managing Bourgeois growths. She also was attracted to the quality of the soil—made of a very fine plateau of gravel on clay—and to its proximity to Pauillac and prestigious classified growths. Finally, the acquisition has enabled her to offer a more extensive selection of wines with a wider price range, but always with reference to and under the signature of Pichon.

In October of 2006, Madame Lencquesaing joined forces with Champagne Louis Roederer, thus opening a new chapter in the history of Château Bernadotte.

Tasting notes

Primarily a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon andMerlot, with a small amount of Petit Verdot, this offering (from the owners of Pichon Lalande) exhibits a classic style with notes of licorice, roasted herbs, cedar, and black currants. Medium-bodied with fine ripeness as well as moderate tannin.

Wine maker notes

The year 2004 produced the ideal climatic conditions for a northern vineyard area such as the Medoc. There was a rather mild winter with temperatures and rainfall normal for the season. Ideal conditions in the spring favored a rapid and homogeneous flowering, which led us to predict an abundant harvest. Mid-flowering started June 8. The gloomy weather forecast for the summer, with moderate temperatures and rain in August, caused the changing of color to be delayed and spread over a considerable period of time, which affected the ripening period. As a result, the harvest took three weeks, picking taking place as when each grape variety reached maximum maturity. This rather cool summer has favored the aromatic expression of the Merlots as well as their balance. The harvest started on October 1st in beautiful weather. The Merlots were picked perfectly ripe and occasionally, due to the great heat, with very high alcohol potential (from 13° to 13,5°). The Cabernets Sauvignons were picked beginning October 7th in perfect sanitary state and at optimal phenolic and aromatic maturity. The last grapes were picked on October 14th just before a period of rainfall.